Special Political and Decolonization Committee
Libya
Republic of Finland
Maddie Thompson
Forest Hills Eastern High School
The stretches of instability in Libya remains unresolved amid a brewing second civil war. This is a topic of discussion because of the thousands of displaced Libyans lacking in basic services. Based on the citizens’ general dislike for immigrants, the Finnish government has decided that Finland would not be the best place to send these displaced people too. The integration of Muslims culture into Finnish society is very difficult. There are common concerns of increased levels of crime, the disinterest of learning the Finnish language, and the expense of immigration centers. 78% of the country are members of the Lutheran Church, most saying they would “rather live next to an alcohol rehabilitation centre than a mosque.”
The topic of immigration is a widely debated issue in Finland. Originally “Finland government said it was willing to double the number of refugees it was willing to accept this year up to 30,000 from [previous] 15,000.” Although the number of refugees that applied that year only ended up being 3,600, most from Iran and Somalia. The national level of government is highly divided on this topic. There is a small amount of allowance for immigration on the national level. There are no treaties or conventions on this topic that save the debates in parliament. Many government officials, specifically the heads of political parties, have spoken on this topic. No consensus has been reached because of the differing viewpoints of the parties. The Finnish government cannot afford to bring in immigrants. Finland’s economy is down and has been in recession for three consecutive years. Finland is attempting to support the EU to better manage migration and participate in developing common migration and asylum policies. Under the Geneva Refugee Convention (1951) Finland has to partake in providing international protection to those in need. The Aliens Act sets standards and procedures for how international protection is granted. Finland intakes around 1,500-6,000 refugees per year since 2000, there is a common stigma around other cultures. It is very important to many Finns that the country keeps a strong Finnish sense of nationalism.
Finland recommends that the countries of the United Nations continue their policies. An intervention in the civil war would be beneficial. Other countries should actively participate in the intake of displaces people as well as use military effort to steady the country that has been at war with itself for decades.
- Madison Thompson
